Thanks Miley

The latest Miley Cyrus scandal has exploded all over the blogosphere (but not to extent of the Annie Leibowitz fiasco – which was equally stupid). This photo of Miley and her friends making slant eyes and buck teeth to immitate Asian stereotypes has been circulating the internet for the past 24 hours and has angered many Asian groups and well any human being has seen enough of racist stereotypes being perpetuated. Here’s a statement released by OCA today:

““Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans,” said George Wu, executive director of OCA. “The inclusion of an Asian Pacific American individual in the photo does not make it acceptable.” READ MORE

It’s hard move beyond old perceptions of APA identity when there is no generation gap or progression from Miley & Co. to Long Duk Long (Sixteen Candles anyone?). No wonder we keep talking about the same issues concerning APA identity from the 1980s…and to make matters worse, this kind of yellow-face (see blackface) has been passed on to a new generation of young people. Thanks Miley.

We are a print and web newsmagazine distributed by UCLA Student Media in Los Angeles, California. We are the oldest student-run Asian American Pacific Islander newsmagazine in the nation. Since 1977, we have brought you news, analysis, commentary, criticism, and insight into the AAPI community. Through a dynamic combination of ... Continue reading →